Joy in Adversity
by Angie B. Williams

288 pages
$12.99
ISBN: 978-0-9728899-6-4

  

 

About the Author

 

Angie B. Williams, wife, mother, grandmother, and retired federal employee, has been widely used in ministry in the United States and Canada. Through many episodes of personal tragedy, including loss of three babies and breast cancer, she demonstrates how, with Jesus, we can have Joy in Adversity.

 

Sharing out of her own personal tragedies, the author offers Biblically based hope and encouragement to those who hurt by presenting a balance between complacent resignation and faith in God's power to deliver.  Based on the premise that our faith is tested through adversity, she suggests how to have joy and victory while walking through life's many trials.

 

 

 

 

This book will show you...

    .               how to walk through and not around adversity

 

    .               that obedience to God is not necessarily a prescription for blissful, pain-free living

 

     .               how to get strength from Christ when you feel the urge to give up.

      

 

WHAT LEADERS ARE SAYING

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is being tested by adversity.  Be encouraged—you can overcome!  You can live in a place of streams amidst adversity.  Angie's personal life is a testimony to this.

—Pastor Ed Heatwole

 

As you read Joy in Adversity, may the Holy Spirit communicate His divine message to your heart so that you will never be the same.

—Robert H. Reichard, Ph.D.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1

 

so what is adversity?

 

What Adversity Is

               

Adversity is a condition of suffering, destitution or affliction, a calamitous or disastrous experience.  I believe that affliction, tribulation and adversity are closely related.  Affliction is grief or trouble, and tribulation is distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution; a trying experience.

               

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Christians in Lycaonia to continue in the faith stating, “That we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).  Drawing on his own experience, Paul asks the Roman Christians, whether tribulation, distress, persecution…could separate them from God's love.  He emphatically affirms that we are more than conquerors and nothing can separate us from God's love.

               

Scripture is replete with references to suffering for Christ and the sufferings of Christ.  Jesus said those who are persecuted for His sake are blessed.  “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11, 12). 

               

Paul warned his young protégé, Timothy, that he must “endure afflictions” and suffering for the sake of the Gospel. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him” (II Timothy 2:12).  But the joy of seeing the face of Jesus will be worth it all!

               

Am I suggesting that we be joyful in the midst of misery, grief, and trouble?  While I believe suffering adversity joyfully is Biblical, many Christians don't want to hear anything about it.  We entice potential believers with, “If you just accept Jesus as your Savior, everything will be alright.”  Would it not be better to teach them how to cope with life's many trials? 

               

We are so afraid of scaring people away from church that we sometimes promote the idea that “our Jesus” answers every prayer without regard to His sovereign will.  Unfortunately, we don't always tell them how to search out nuggets from the Scriptures that will build their faith when God does not answer their prayers quickly or in the way they expected.  It is incumbent upon us to teach them to be like the Bereans.  “…they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11b).

               

You mean they checked up on what the Apostle Paul taught them?  We must check after anyone who purports to be a teacher of the Word, no matter how big the name.  To demonstrate my fallibility, one day I thought the Lord was telling me to read Galatians 7.  I couldn't wait to get my special “word from the Lord.”   Since Galatians has only six chapters, I was mistaken, but I learned a valuable lesson.

 

What Adversity is NOT

               

The Apostle Peter says we are to “partake of Christ's sufferings.”  He says suffering reproach, or unjust accusation, for the name of Christ brings blessing and great reward in Heaven.  However, he hastens to add that Christians should not “suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters” (I Peter 4:15, NKJV).  Adversity is not incurring the wrath of the IRS by failing to pay our taxes.  It's not speeding down the freeway and getting a ticket.  If we arrive at work late and the supervisor expects an explanation, we think we are being persecuted.  Adversity is not indulging in sex outside of marriage and getting pregnant. 

               

I well remember a young Christian girl expressing her deep agony.  “The devil is trying to tell me I'm pregnant!” she exclaimed.  I shifted on my chair trying to hide my uneasiness.  Would I indulge her or hold her accountable for her actions?  After a few pleasantries, I asked whether she had indulged in intercourse?  “No!” she replied emphatically. 

               

Rapidly becoming frustrated, I searched for a way to help her accept responsibility and escape the victim mentality without crushing her completely.  Finally, I blurted it out, “The devil is a bad boy, but even he can't make you believe you are pregnant if you haven't given him a reason.”  That was the defining moment for her.

               

Sin has consequences, but the world would have us believe we can sin with impunity.  We have manufactured new definitions for sin to make it more palatable.  Billy Graham used to say the new morality was nothing more than the old immorality.  Sin hasn't changed much since the Garden of Eden, and couching sin in respectable terminology won't help.  Did you ever have anyone try to manipulate your thinking, make you believe a lie, or play word games like this with you?

               

Abortion: A product of conception, a minor inconvenience.  If we admit it is a baby, we have to admit that abortion is murder, and we are blithely killing millions.  We accord more respect to a cat or a spotted owl than to the fruit of the human womb. 

               

Fornication: Being sexually active, safe sex.  The kids will do it anyway, so let's provide sex education and a condom.  This teaches them to think they can escape sin's consequences—break God's law, but just don't get caught.

               

Shacking Up: Domestic partnership, significant other, lifetime companion.  Such words now appear in obituaries. 

               

Homosexual, effeminate, deviant: Alternative lifestyle, partner, same-sex marriage.

               

Adultery, infidelity, unfaithfulness: An indiscretion or mistake.  The philandering husband “fell into an adulterous relationship,” which makes him a victim.  One may fall into a ditch, but Christians who commit adultery, do so through a series of compromises and rationalizations.

               

Illegitimate or born-out-of-wedlock: Love child.  I heard one woman say her “love child” was an answer to prayer, even though a married minister fathered it.

                Genetic engineering: Trying to create human beings in ways other than what God designed. 

                Pride and arrogance: Independent spirit.

                Lying and covering up: Error in judgment.

                Getting caught committing a crime: Entrapment.

                And the grandfather of them all, “that depends on what alone means,” or “what is is.” 

                On and on, ad infinitum and ad nauseam!  God has not changed His definition of sin, and His moral absolutes still apply.  But “the law” has become whatever we can get away with—just make up the rules as we go along.  So adversity is not trying to get away with sin or using diversionary tactics to deflect the enemy. 

 

Sources of Adversity

               

“What does adversity have to do with the adversary—the devil, the enemy of our souls?” I asked several friends, but failed to receive a substantive response.  An adversary is one who contends with, opposes, or resists; it is an enemy; one who is hostile.  Could we then conclude that adversity always comes from the devil? 

               

God tests us in order to prove us; Satan tempts us in order to discourage us; and we bring trials on ourselves by our decisions and actions.  We can expect some unpleasant result when we choose to ignore or deliberately disobey God. 

               

While Christians in some countries are persecuted and slaughtered for their faith, suffering for Christ is a foreign concept for most Americans.  But the Apostle Paul warned that all who live Godly in Christ Jesus would suffer persecution.  In Acts 9:16 the Lord forewarned a disciple named Ananias that Paul would suffer for the sake of the Gospel.  “For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake”.

               

Let's consider the devil as a source of adversity.  Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him like wheat.  Peter later described the devil as a roaring lion walking about seeking someone to devour, and advised us to resist him by faith. 

               

When I asked a Bible study group how to stand against the devil, one participant blurted out, “We are to run from him!”  James 4:7, NKJV:  “Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  We must put on the whole armor of God in order to withstand him successfully.  When we are full of the Word, the Holy Spirit can recall it to us in times of adversity.

               

I believe the devil authors adversity to tempt us to doubt God's love.  When we pass God's test we become stronger Christians, while yielding to Satan's temptations depletes our strength and makes us weak.  A test is hard; a temptation looks like fun, but leads to trouble.  When God tests us, He already knows how we will respond, but sometimes we surprise ourselves.   

               

According to Hebrews 12:1-11, God disciplines us because He loves us and is training us in the fruit of righteousness.  How often we moan and groan, begging for deliverance, when God is attempting to teach us a valuable spiritual lesson. 

               

The Psalmist said that God disciplined him with affliction upon his bed, but I don't know how that fits your theology.  Also Psalm 30:6 says, “And in my prosperity I said, I should never be moved.”  Indeed, we have heard utterances such as, “Bless God, that would never happen to me!”  Sometimes when adversity strikes such a person, they fall apart because they have no framework for coping with what they thought could never happen.

               

Then there's God's pruning in John 15.  The beautiful Shenandoah Valley produces luscious apples, but I know they prune the trees.  The caretaker trims not only the dead stuff, but along with it some of the good branches.

               

When the Lord begins to prune us, He may purge some good things because His intensive pruning provides for maximum yield.

 

Inevitability of Adversity

               

No matter how often we are tempted or the depth of the temptation, we can have Joy in Adversity; however, the idea is antithetical to what many Christians have been taught.  “Of course, all is well with my soul, but how about my life in general?” a Christian may wonder.  It may seem the more they follow Jesus, the thicker the battle against the adversary becomes. 

               

In a section titled, “Profiting From Trials,” The Nelson Study Bible (NKJV) renders James 1:2-4 this way.  “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

               

Under “Loving God Under Trials,” it continues, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.  Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God;' for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:12-14, NKJV).

               

Satan is the author of seduction to evil, and our response to temptation is a true revelation of our moral character.  If Satan can't get us to sin by any other means, he will assault our belief system with discouragement and despair.  He wants us to be defeated; God wants us to be overcomers and conformed to the image of Jesus.   The crown of life that awaits us in Heaven is sufficient incentive to keep us pressing on.  

               

Believe Psalm 23, that when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we need not fear because He is present with us.  He is using His rod to protect us and His staff to pull us up when our feet stray.  Hallelujah!

 

Adversity is Normal for the Christian

               

In my travels, I have met a lot of saints; however, without exception, I learned they had to overcome adversity.  I concluded that there is no such thing as instant sainthood, and everyone must at sometime learn to rise above adversity of some sort.

               

One of the most radical conclusions I reached through suffering is simply this: Obedience to God does not ensure immunity from adversity!  To some this may sound faithless and heretical. 

               

The Apostle Peter forewarned us to expect trials and suffering as a natural component of the Christian life.  Through various trials, God shapes His character within us.  Peter affirms that we are kept by the power of God and continues: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:6, 7, NKJV).

               

After a meeting I spoke briefly with the guest speaker I had just met.  Reaching into his pocket he drew out a “gold nugget.”  Turning to me he said, “The Lord is telling me that when you are tried, you will come forth as pure gold.” 

               

Every Christian experiences trials and testing that produce pressure to question God.   When Peter compares the value of our faith with gold, faith triumphs.  But the purity of gold is brought out by intense heat; and we discover the strength of our faith through the trials we overcome.  But faith that is not tested may not be faith at all!  When we survive the heat of the furnace, our faith is validated and authenticated.

               

Speaking to a persecuted church, Peter warns Christians not to think it strange when fiery trials come.  I think first century believers, unlike contemporary believers, actually expected to suffer and be martyred for their faith.  Peter writes to encourage them to remain steadfast despite the trials.  He reminds us that Christ suffered for our sake, and he parallels suffering and glory repeatedly.  The more we suffer, the more glory is to be expected when we reign with Jesus in His kingdom.  Hallelujah!

               

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when He is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (I Peter 4:12-13, NKJV).

               

Suffering proves our true character—anyone can have vibrant faith when things are going well.  However, I believe we can expect suffering to be a part of our Christian experience as long as we live in this world.  But Heaven will be a different story.

               

life, you look for relief.  Jesus invites us to “yoke up” with Him (Matthew 5:28-30).  Even if our burdens endure for a while, they become lighter because Jesus is carrying them for us.  In the passage, Jesus extends a three-fold invitation to each of us.  We can come for salvation, for discipleship, and for service with Him.  When we accept His gracious invitation, His response is at least three-fold.  He will satisfy our spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. 

               

If a trial persists for a season, Jesus will give us victory in the midst of it.  We may still have the burden without feeling its weight, still be in the furnace without feeling the heat, or continue to walk through the waters without being drowned. Believe Jesus' words, “I will give you rest,” and have Joy in Adversity!

               

Minor distractions brought on by the enemy can cause us to lose our focus; however, we can cast all our cares, or distractions, on Him because He cares for us.  According to John 10, He is the Good Shepherd Who gave His life for the sheep.  That's us!

               

If trials and suffering are normal for the Christian, of what possible value are they?  At the very least, these disasters tend to define our values—what is most important to us.  I have learned more through the school of suffering than at any other time.  Through failed pregnancies, a back injury and several surgeries, as well as Rivers' job layoffs, I turned to God and His Word for strength.

 

 

Application Questions:

 So What is Adversity?

 

Scriptures: Romans 8:35, Matthew 5:11, 12, Acts 9:16, James 4:7, Hebrews 12:1-11, James 1:2-4, 12-14, I Peter 1:6, 7, 4:12-14, 19.

1.             Define adversity and how it relates to suffering for

Christ.

2.             Name three sources of adversity and discuss how to

respond to each.

3.             Do you believe all Christians suffer adversity?  Why, or

 why not?